Highest and lowest paying jobs

Construction workers erecting a crane. Construction worker median pay was $41,000 in 2012.

Growing up, one of the toughest decisions is to figure out what job to eventually pursue.  The job should align with your interests and passions, and ideally, should compensate you well.  All jobs are essential for the economy to function, but some jobs simply pay much better than others.

Highest paying jobs

The top ten highest paying jobs are all in the medical field with salaries well over $187,000/year.  These jobs include surgeons, dentists, physicians, internists, anesthesiologists, orthodontists, psychiatrists, etc. Not surprisingly, health care is one of the fastest growing expenditures for all income levels according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Although the salary is sky high, it's not a walk in the park to land a job in the field.  To enter the medical profession requires years of training including a doctoral or professional degree and additional training before practicing.  Not only will you give up years of your life, you'll also be saddled with substantial debt.  However, there's a very bright light at the end of the tunnel.  Once you start practicing, the compensation is staggering.

Chief executives come in at number eleven with a median salary of $168,140/year, followed by several more medical professions.  Engineers, air traffic controllers, information system managers, and marketing managers round out the top twenty positions.

Position	Job	2012 Median Pay
1	Oral and maxillofacial surgeons	187,200
2	Physicians and surgeons, all other	187,200
3	Surgeons	187,200
4	Obstetricians and gynecologists	187,200
5	Internists, general	187,200
6	Anesthesiologists	187,200
7	Orthodontists	187,200
8	Psychiatrists	173,330
9	Family and general practitioners	172,020
10	Prosthodontists	169,130
11	Chief executives	168,140
12	Dentists, all other specialists	154,990
13	Pediatricians, general	154,650
14	Nurse anesthetists	148,160
15	Dentists, general	145,240
16	Petroleum engineers	130,280
17	Architectural and engineering managers	124,870
18	Air traffic controllers	122,530
19	Computer and information systems managers	120,950
20	Marketing managers	119,480

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Lowest paying jobs
On the bottom of the list, you'll find all sorts of jobs including bakers, bartenders, cashiers, fast food workers, drivers, cooks, roofers, security guards, retail sales persons, waiters, etc. who earn less than $25,000/year, a salary that is hardly livable.  Regardless of how hard you save at this income level, building a substantial net worth is extremely challenging.

Interested in learning more?  See the fastest growing occupations or the fields with the most new jobs.